Questions about Pirates of Drinax campaign.

[J. L. Brown]

There are a couple places where players might do something that the campaign writers did not anticipate, and I would like some feedback / ideas / on how to handle some of these situations.

1} The Vorito Gambit. The players could point out that the new 'Kingdom of Drinax' could easily and legally 'nationalize' or seize all of GeDeCos holdings in the Trojan Reach for free; and use that as a starting point to have GeDeCo sign over (or sell, maybe at a discounted rate) most of their holdings throughout the Trojan Reach. This gives the KoD an income, and real influence on a large number of planets -- both of which may be essential to GeDeCo's psychohistory plan / reactivating the myth of the Empire of Sindal. How likely is GeDeCo to bargain? How big are their holdings? What are they willing to give away, and what are they willing to sell? What is the hard limit, beyond which no amount of inducement will move them? How much can the splinter group of GeDECo at Vorito bargain with? After the players come away with a deal, how much weekly income will the KoD have?

2} The Prodigal Outcast. The players might get the confession from Lokharl, and then try to find a way to restore Kasiyl's honor without restarting the war -- maybe by having the ruling overturned by the Yerlyaruiwo on a technicality (for example; the 'War of Assassins' should never have been permited; instead a 'War of Champions' was appropriate & in that context Kasiyl is exonerated). This can preserve the non-war status quo between the Ahroay’if and Tokohfearl, and leave Aual in power and Fyohierl (and her pro-war agenda) buried in paperwork. This gets their friend Kasiyl restored to a high position in a very decidely merchant Aslan clan -- and there is a good chance of creating a rift between the Ahroay’if and their lords, the Tlaiowaha. The Tokohfearl will probably be grateful for the breathing space, too. All of this affects the negotiations with the Aslan clans in the Finale: The Knife Edge. Is it possible to recruit the Ahroay'if or the Tokohfearl? How does this change the negotiations?

3} The Game of Sun and Shadows. What are the consequences if the Traveller's shift suspicion enough to have Vorito bombarded? How does that affect their military & financial support from GeDeCo?

4} The Sindal Main. None of the systems in the Dpres subsector (apart from Acis) are even mentioned; yet if the players are trying to rebuild the 'Empire of Sindal, part deux' then the worlds of the Sindal main (and more) should be on their list.

5} The Florian League and the Glorious Empire. If the KoD expands into the Dpres (or even the Yggdrasil) subsector, then representatives from these polities might be expected. What are their demands? How is the players 'Standing' calculated? Especially in light of existing trade between the Imperium & the Florian League -- with a long jump-3 trade route above the coreward edge of Dpres subsector. Does that need to be blockaded, too?

There is probably more; but I would very much like to hear ideas regarding these questions. Thanks in advance.

 

[Reisender]

Travellers, tell us about your experiences in the Pirates of Drinax!

 

[Garran]

#3: I've only had one game go this far but it was such an obvious "two birds with one stone" that I'm actually surprised that it isn't covered. Granted, GeDeCo might be the kind of target that even Krond would have second thoughts about, but if the PCs can get hard evidence of the company's shenanigans into the flotilla's hands, I doubt that his second thoughts would last for long, especially with the Trojan Reach branch being deniably separate from GeDeCo in the Imperium. He can "solve" the piracy problem AND be lauded for bringing justice to a traitorously rogue company!

And even if GeDeCo in the Imperium doesn't quite agree, it still means that Krond isn't the PCs' problem anymore.

Thinking about it, this would also give the Kingdom of Drinax plausible cover for doing #1 in the aftermath: nationalizing GeDeCo would antagonize the Imperium under normal circumstances, but after a scandal like that? They might prefer to have someone take the remnants of the problem off their hands.

 

[Anstett]

One of the complications/twists that I am doing with my upcoming campaign is that the Travellers are starting off by being hired by a lower level GeDeCo agent. He sends them to Drinax not knowing of the other plants.

 

[Shadowblayde99]

One of the complications/twists that I am doing with my upcoming campaign is that the Travellers are starting off by being hired by a lower level GeDeCo agent. He sends them to Drinax not knowing of the other plants.

That's an interesting start because of the psychohistory / manipulation aspect of GeDeCo's plans for the Reach.

I'm planning to start my campaign with Sun and Shadow and have the PCs as Navy officers who then get asked by Imperial Intelligence to support Drinax.

 

[Anstett]

Yeah, I figure there are schemers at all levels of GeDeCo. Not everyone will know who is doing what, and more importantly want others to know what they are doing until they can present it as a win.

Slowly gathering as many mentions of GeDeCo as I can from all the various adventures, source books, etc. to put together a comprehensive organizational plan.

 

[J. L. Brown]

That's an interesting start because of the psychohistory / manipulation aspect of GeDeCo's plans for the Reach.

I'm planning to start my campaign with Sun and Shadow and have the PCs as Navy officers who then get asked by Imperial Intelligence to support Drinax.

I'm not sure starting the entire campaign with 'Sun & Shadow' before 'Honor Among Thieves' would work well -- Krond & his 198th flotilla are supposed to be a way to set back the players progress. 'Sun & Shadow' does offer the choice of generating Navy and Marine characters who have served on the flagship before the campaign, and that might be a cool intro for ex-navy and ex-marine characters. I will be interested in hearing how it goes!

 

[J. L. Brown]

Yeah, I figure there are schemers at all levels of GeDeCo. Not everyone will know who is doing what, and more importantly want others to know what they are doing until they can present it as a win.

Slowly gathering as many mentions of GeDeCo as I can from all the various adventures, source books, etc. to put together a comprehensive organizational plan.

I am trying to see how well T4 'Pocket Empires' (PE) game integrates into the end phases of the PoD campaign. TravellerMap.com has the 'Economic Extension' for all the worlds I am interested in, and those four items (Resources, Labor, Infrastructure, and Efficiency) are almost enough to use the PE rules to calculate income and determine the costs and odds of success of various large-scale actions. The trick is that it is NOT a perfect fit -- PE calculates Gross World Product as (Resources x Labor x Infrastructure x (1 / (Culture +1))); T5 & TravellerMap calculate Gross World Product as (Resources x Labor x Infrastructure x Efficiency). Culture ranges from 1 to 12-ish; Efficiency ranges from -5 to +5, although I think there are modifiers which may take both higher.

With GWP, I can begin calculating exactly how much GeDeCo owns & gets out of each system -- and how much the Kingdom of Drinax might get. Figuring out exactly how far GeDeCo reaches is a central part of that, and a step I have not gotten to yet. I will be very interested in your results!

 

[Geir]

I am trying to see how well T4 'Pocket Empires' (PE) game integrates into the end phases of the PoD campaign. TravellerMap.com has the 'Economic Extension' for all the worlds I am interested in, and those four items (Resources, Labor, Infrastructure, and Efficiency) are almost enough to use the PE rules to calculate income and determine the costs and odds of success of various large-scale actions. The trick is that it is NOT a perfect fit -- PE calculates Gross World Product as (Resources x Labor x Infrastructure x (1 / (Culture +1))); T5 & TravellerMap calculate Gross World Product as (Resources x Labor x Infrastructure x Efficiency). Culture ranges from 1 to 12-ish; Efficiency ranges from -5 to +5, although I think there are modifiers which may take both higher.

With GWP, I can begin calculating exactly how much GeDeCo owns & gets out of each system -- and how much the Kingdom of Drinax might get. Figuring out exactly how far GeDeCo reaches is a central part of that, and a step I have not gotten to yet. I will be very interested in your results!

*cough* new month, new plug
The World Builders Handbook extends and otherwise elaborates/modifies the economic extensions into GWP, standard of living, military budgets, and so forth.

 

[J. L. Brown]

*cough* new month, new plug
The World Builders Handbook extends and otherwise elaborates/modifies the economic extensions into GWP, standard of living, military budgets, and so forth.

Yeeeeah.... About that; I would be more inclined to buy new books if I didn't keep finding egregious fails in the ones I already have. Looking at the rules for Energy Weapon Design in the Field Catalog (pages 63 & 64), where the topic is energy cells vs energy cartridges: Energy cells are rechargeable, and can allow the user to draw varying amounts of power for different needs; energy cartridges are expendable, and produce a fixed amount of power, always being fully used up. Designers 'might choose one or the other' based on various considerations.

Unlikely. Above TL 9, energy cartridges are unattractive.
TL 8: energy cartridges are not even possible.
TL 9: a 'weak' (2D damage) energy weapon energy cell with 1000 shots (2000 energy) is 20 kg & 10 kCr. 1000 'weak' energy cartridges are 10 kg & 5 kCr -- a 50 round disposable magazine would bring these to 10.2 kg and 5.1 kCr.
TL 10: a 'light' (3D damage) weapon energy cell with 1000 shots (3000 energy) is 10 kg & 10 kCr. 1000 'light' energy cartridges are 10 kg and 8 kCr -- 50 round disposable magazines brings that to 10.2 kg & 9.6 kCr, reusable to 10.2 kg 11.2 kCr. Unless soldiers are issued single-shot weapons, Energy Cells are as good or better.
TL 11: a 'standard' (5D damage) weapon energy cell with 1000 shots (5000 energy) is 10 kg & 15 kCr. 1000 'standard' energy cartridges are 20(!) kg and 10 kCr -- 50 round disposable magazines brings that to 20.2 kg & 12 Cr, reusable to 20.2 kg & 14 kCr.
TL 12: a 'heavy' (8D damage) weapon with 1000 shots is 10 kg & 25 kCr. 1000 'standard' energy cartridges are 25(!) kg and 15 kCr -- -- 50 round disposable magazines brings that to 20.2 kg & 18 Cr, reusable to 20.2 kg & 21 kCr.

Except at TL 9, energy cartridges are generally a bad deal. Military users need to worry about the combat load of its' soldiers and the transport capacity of its' logistics 'tail' -- which means that weight reduction is supremely important. Just the fact that Energy Cartridges even have a mass at all (and therefore take up transport capacity) is enough of a detriment. Nor is there a drop in mass or cost as tech levels advance, so building a 'standard' energy weapon at TL13 is locked into using the rotten TL 11 Energy Cartridges. These rules also imply plasma carbines or pistols around TL 8 or TL 9 -- but those weapons are conspicuously absent. I grouse about how bad the modeling of the energy capacity of batteries is (each TL should have about 4.4x the energy for the same mass and volume, at a slightly higher cost per mass) but that is it's own problem -- energy cartridges are problematic just on their own. All of this for something which is only useful at one TL.

The irony is that it could have been good, plus much simpler, & taken a half a page & two tables less: "Energy Cartridges contain twice as much Energy per kg as Energy Cells, and cost 75% of the price of Energy Cells of the same mass. While the price per Energy Cartridge always tracks with energy capacity, individual cartridges have a mass which is the higher of 4g, or (Energy/kg x Energy per shot)/1000 -- anything much smaller than 4g is too fiddly to work with or keep track of."

Stuff like that is not 'a choice the GM should make for their own TU', it seems like apathy and lack of editing. It does <not> inspire me to buy yet another book which contradicts all prior works, and that I will have to essentially need to rewrite in order to make it useful.

 

[Alqualonde]

Yeeeeah.... About that; I would be more inclined to buy new books if I didn't keep finding egregious fails in the ones I already have. Looking at the rules for Energy Weapon Design in the Field Catalog (pages 63 & 64), where the topic is energy cells vs energy cartridges: Energy cells are rechargeable, and can allow the user to draw varying amounts of power for different needs; energy cartridges are expendable, and produce a fixed amount of power, always being fully used up. Designers 'might choose one or the other' based on various considerations.

Unlikely. Above TL 9, energy cartridges are unattractive.
TL 8: energy cartridges are not even possible.
TL 9: a 'weak' (2D damage) energy weapon energy cell with 1000 shots (2000 energy) is 20 kg & 10 kCr. 1000 'weak' energy cartridges are 10 kg & 5 kCr -- a 50 round disposable magazine would bring these to 10.2 kg and 5.1 kCr.
TL 10: a 'light' (3D damage) weapon energy cell with 1000 shots (3000 energy) is 10 kg & 10 kCr. 1000 'light' energy cartridges are 10 kg and 8 kCr -- 50 round disposable magazines brings that to 10.2 kg & 9.6 kCr, reusable to 10.2 kg 11.2 kCr. Unless soldiers are issued single-shot weapons, Energy Cells are as good or better.
TL 11: a 'standard' (5D damage) weapon energy cell with 1000 shots (5000 energy) is 10 kg & 15 kCr. 1000 'standard' energy cartridges are 20(!) kg and 10 kCr -- 50 round disposable magazines brings that to 20.2 kg & 12 Cr, reusable to 20.2 kg & 14 kCr.
TL 12: a 'heavy' (8D damage) weapon with 1000 shots is 10 kg & 25 kCr. 1000 'standard' energy cartridges are 25(!) kg and 15 kCr -- -- 50 round disposable magazines brings that to 20.2 kg & 18 Cr, reusable to 20.2 kg & 21 kCr.

Except at TL 9, energy cartridges are generally a bad deal. Military users need to worry about the combat load of its' soldiers and the transport capacity of its' logistics 'tail' -- which means that weight reduction is supremely important. Just the fact that Energy Cartridges even have a mass at all (and therefore take up transport capacity) is enough of a detriment. Nor is there a drop in mass or cost as tech levels advance, so building a 'standard' energy weapon at TL13 is locked into using the rotten TL 11 Energy Cartridges. These rules also imply plasma carbines or pistols around TL 8 or TL 9 -- but those weapons are conspicuously absent. I grouse about how bad the modeling of the energy capacity of batteries is (each TL should have about 4.4x the energy for the same mass and volume, at a slightly higher cost per mass) but that is it's own problem -- energy cartridges are problematic just on their own. All of this for something which is only useful at one TL.

The irony is that it could have been good, plus much simpler, & taken a half a page & two tables less: "Energy Cartridges contain twice as much Energy per kg as Energy Cells, and cost 75% of the price of Energy Cells of the same mass. While the price per Energy Cartridge always tracks with energy capacity, individual cartridges have a mass which is the higher of 4g, or (Energy/kg x Energy per shot)/1000 -- anything much smaller than 4g is too fiddly to work with or keep track of."

Stuff like that is not 'a choice the GM should make for their own TU', it seems like apathy and lack of editing. It does <not> inspire me to buy yet another book which contradicts all prior works, and that I will have to essentially need to rewrite in order to make it useful.

Cartridge have a few 'advantages' (and yes, I know it might be limited):
- A spend cell takes time to recharge. For cartridges, just slap a new clip & you're good to go. It can help with logistics (at least on the tactical level).
- Low Tech troops (TL-5 to TL-8) are used to change clips on their weapons. So no need to retrain if you sell them lasers. Doesn't seems much, but remember that humans (and many sophonts) are creatures of habits... A rifleman should be able to recharge/disassemble/disassemble (and maybe clean) his weapon blindfolded (or at least in adverse conditions such as low light, fog, smoke, while wearing NBC suit, etc.).
- If you sell laser weapons to a lower tech world (one that can't make his own cartridges) or to civilians, they will be dependant on a steady source of ammo. Thus you can sell them more cartridges (instead of giving them a battery than can be recharged over and over again). More money for you...
- If you sell laser weapons to a lower tech world (or civilians) that suddenly decide to use those weapons on you, they will be limited by their stockpile of cartridges... Small comfort for those who will be on the recieving end of the remaining cartridges, but a long term advantage.
So cartridges might be used for exports or civilian weapons & cells used by your own army.

 

[tzunder]

There are a couple places where players might do something that the campaign writers did not anticipate, and I would like some feedback / ideas / on how to handle some of these situations.

1} The Vorito Gambit. The players could point out that the new 'Kingdom of Drinax' could easily and legally 'nationalize' or seize all of GeDeCos holdings in the Trojan Reach for free; and use that as a starting point to have GeDeCo sign over (or sell, maybe at a discounted rate) most of their holdings throughout the Trojan Reach. This gives the KoD an income, and real influence on a large number of planets -- both of which may be essential to GeDeCo's psychohistory plan / reactivating the myth of the Empire of Sindal. How likely is GeDeCo to bargain? How big are their holdings? What are they willing to give away, and what are they willing to sell? What is the hard limit, beyond which no amount of inducement will move them? How much can the splinter group of GeDECo at Vorito bargain with? After the players come away with a deal, how much weekly income will the KoD have?

To nationalize such a large well equipped and resourced organisation that (frankly) has more assets than the KoD for much of the adventure is perhaps a large reach.. BUT not one that should be discouraged! I'd make it hard but it has some factors that may well support it - the GeDeCo inner conspiracy believe that supporting the KoD is core to the psychohistory plan.. so they may have a lot of support.
On the other hand, Darokyn is a GeDeCo ally, but maybe he views himself more as an Iridium Imperial ally, and as such he could deploy a significant fleet to oppose such a seizure.
A diplomatic alliance or even an explicit support contract for KoD from GeDeCo would seem quite achievable.. maybe the players have to deal with a minority dissenting group inside GeDeCo first?

2} The Prodigal Outcast. The players might get the confession from Lokharl, and then try to find a way to restore Kasiyl's honor without restarting the war -- maybe by having the ruling overturned by the Yerlyaruiwo on a technicality (for example; the 'War of Assassins' should never have been permited; instead a 'War of Champions' was appropriate & in that context Kasiyl is exonerated). This can preserve the non-war status quo between the Ahroay’if and Tokohfearl, and leave Aual in power and Fyohierl (and her pro-war agenda) buried in paperwork. This gets their friend Kasiyl restored to a high position in a very decidely merchant Aslan clan -- and there is a good chance of creating a rift between the Ahroay’if and their lords, the Tlaiowaha. The Tokohfearl will probably be grateful for the breathing space, too. All of this affects the negotiations with the Aslan clans in the Finale: The Knife Edge. Is it possible to recruit the Ahroay'if or the Tokohfearl? How does this change the negotiations?

My players navigated a line between the Ahroay'if and GeDeCo, and indeed shortly after they had made KoD an Aslan clan and sworn to the Ahroay'if they shot the local GeDeCo executive board and indeed they then controlled all GDC assets!

5} The Florian League and the Glorious Empire. If the KoD expands into the Dpres (or even the Yggdrasil) subsector, then representatives from these polities might be expected. What are their demands? How is the players 'Standing' calculated? Especially in light of existing trade between the Imperium & the Florian League -- with a long jump-3 trade route above the coreward edge of Dpres subsector. Does that need to be blockaded, too?

There is probably more; but I would very much like to hear ideas regarding these questions. Thanks in advance.

My players included a character from Camoran, and the Camoran seem to be loyal allies to the Hierate against the Glorious Empire. The Florians are most threatened by the GE. However neither polities featured more than that in our campaign. I am exploring that a lot more in my new post PoD campaign.

 

[J. L. Brown]

Cartridge have a few 'advantages' (and yes, I know it might be limited):
- A spend cell takes time to recharge. For cartridges, just slap a new clip & you're good to go. It can help with logistics (at least on the tactical level).
- Low Tech troops (TL-5 to TL-8) are used to change clips on their weapons. So no need to retrain if you sell them lasers. Doesn't seems much, but remember that humans (and many sophonts) are creatures of habits... A rifleman should be able to recharge/disassemble/disassemble (and maybe clean) his weapon blindfolded (or at least in adverse conditions such as low light, fog, smoke, while wearing NBC suit, etc.).
- If you sell laser weapons to a lower tech world (one that can't make his own cartridges) or to civilians, they will be dependant on a steady source of ammo. Thus you can sell them more cartridges (instead of giving them a battery than can be recharged over and over again). More money for you...
- If you sell laser weapons to a lower tech world (or civilians) that suddenly decide to use those weapons on you, they will be limited by their stockpile of cartridges... Small comfort for those who will be on the recieving end of the remaining cartridges, but a long term advantage.
So cartridges might be used for exports or civilian weapons & cells used by your own army.

It seems like the procurement authority of any customer military would see being forced to buy their ammo by import as a strategic vulnerability -- and at TL 8 is is utterly impossible to produce energy cartridges. Energy Cells are possible at TL 8, though -- so off-world 'Cartridge' weapons may be refit locally to 'Cell' weapons, even if it means a loss of performance.